Tom Hormby's Orchard

A History of the Color Classic

- 2005.10.31

Popularity:

The Color Classic has been lauded by many Mac faithful as what the original Macintosh should have been. The computer was made available to the general public on February 10, 1993, and was received well by reviewers.

Customers were not so accepting of the machine's serious design flaws, but for some collectors, the Color Classic is perfect.

Designed by Daniel De Luliis, a man credited with all of Apple's award winning designs from the early 90s onward, the computer included several major changes from the earlier compact Macs, such as the Classic II.

Nearing the ten year anniversary of the Lisa, Apple was eager to prove its ability to produce a thoughtfully designed computer aimed squarely at consumers at a low price (it eventually was priced at $1,400, well below Apple's other color models).

Chief among the new design features was the introduction of feet - the computer actually seemed to float above the desktop, perched atop four curved feet. The feet first appeared on the Color Classic and made their way into most of the Quadras and Power Macs until 1996.

Colour Classic The floppy drive was modified from the ordinary slot found on earlier Macs into a curved, almost smile-like slot. The space above the monitor was also modified, and it almost resembles a human's forehead.

Another first for a compact Mac, the speaker and brightness controls were both exposed on the front bevel to the left of the floppy drive. De Luliis designed the entire Color Classic chassis using CAD software, something unheard of in the industry at that time. This made it easier for him to introduce complex design features into the computer, like the beveled back.

For all of the thought devoted to the aesthetic of the Color Classic, the innards of the machine seem to have been neglected. Essentially a repackaged LC II, the Color Classic had underclocked the 68030 processor to be compatible with the already obsolete logic card. The 32-bit processor was operating on a 16-bit bus, and Apple limited the amount of memory it could address to 10 MB. Compared that to the SE/30, released five years before, which could be upgraded to 128 MB of RAM.

The crystal clear Trinitron CRT was fixed at 512 x 384, slightly taller than the original Mac. This was to match the Apple II's display for use with Apple's add-in Apple II PDS card.

Initial reviews of the product were very positive, but consumers were largely unwilling to pay such a premium for a severely limited product. Apple released a home version of the Color Classic, the Performa 250, in hopes of bolstering sales, but it was largely unsuccessful.

The Color Classic did well amongst college students, and it did exceptionally well in the Japanese markets. Both of these segments valued the computer's compact design more than its performance.

Apple eventually released a sequel to the Color Classic in Japan that eliminated many of the compromises found in the original. The Color Classic II shared a logic board with the powerful 33 MHz LC 550. In 1994, both models were discontinued, replaced by the LC 500 series.

The Color Classic's life after its discontinuation has been far more notable than its production life, especially in Japan, where upgraded models can cost as much as $2,600. One organization, Kan-chan, counts over 300 members and is still growing. Many of these enthusiasts have upgraded their machines, some to PowerPC 603e processors, and some even to G3s and G4s.

Several companies have cropped up selling Color Classics retrofitted with iMac innards, turning them into Mac OS X ready machines twelve years after they were introduced.

The NeXT Years: Steve Jobs before His Triumphant Return to Apple, 2011.12.20. The origin and growth of NeXT, Steve Jobs' other computer company.
Full Circle: A Brief History of NeXT, 2011.12.20. A brief history of NeXT, the company Steve Jobs launched when he left Apple in 1985 - and which Apple bought 11 years later.
NeXT, OpenStep, and the Triumphant Return of Steve Jobs, 2011.12.20. 15 years ago today, Apple acquired NeXT, bringing Steve Jobs back into the fold.
More in the Orchard index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Fix Home Button Delay, Tablet the Ultimate Mobile PC, iPad Notebook a Possibility, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.10. Also using your iPad at work, two photo editors, a new iPad text editor, Macally's magnetic iPad 2 stand, and more.
White MacBook Goes End-of-Life, Logitech Touch Mouse Supports Gestures, Firmware Updates, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.10. Also MacBook Air better than any Ultrabook, docks for MacBook Pro models, Intel offers improved SSDs, and more.
Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10. Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
Apple's Support Lead Shipping, Smartphones Outsell PCs, OS X Ported to ARM by Intern, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.10. Also the power of Tex-Edit Plus, Google and Twitter are already censoring the Web, Snow Leopard Security Update, and more.
LogMeIn: Remote Screen Sharing for the Rest of Us, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2012.02.09. Configuring the Mac's built-in screen sharing to work over the Internet can be difficult or impossible. LogMeIn makes it easy.
15 Years Ago Motorola Unveiled the PowerPC G3, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.06. The G3 processor was optimized for real world Mac software and made a big leap forward in efficiency.
Don't Kill Caps Lock, Learning to Love the iOS Keyboard, and an Adaptive iPad Keyboard, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2012.02.06. The Caps Lock key has a useful function, the iPad's keyboard really is useful, and checking out an adaptive keyboard for the iPad.
More links in our archive.

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.